Ms BURNET – Minister, I think we’re on the home straight.
Mr ABETZ – We can finish right now.
Ms BURNET – No, no, we are still bringing you right to the end. Bus services in southern Tasmania are fairly poorly connected and there’s a lot of frustration, particularly in regional areas, in relation to reliability of services and the function of the bus network. Often you have, from the far reaches of Franklin or the Tasman Peninsula, you might have a bus trundling up with some passengers up to Huonville and that bus may go all the way to Hobart, whereas there may be a hub‑and-spoke approach to bus services. I am wondering about the thinking and logic behind, perhaps, altering that. This is even to the point where ferries and Metro services aren’t even joined up on the eastern shore, so you can’t go to Rosny. What’s your plan to fix some of those things? It’s not a Dorothy Dixer but it sounds like one.
Mr ABETZ – The issue of Metro linking up with the ferries on the eastern shore, in particular, is something that I have raised with Metro as to what can be done to achieve a linkage there. In general terms, there’s a Greater Hobart network review and State Growth is fast-tracking planning for a review of the Greater Hobart bus network in response to the current driver shortage and service reliability issues. In the first stage, the department will focus on evaluating and adjusting current service offerings to maximise service reliability and make better use of existing resources.
We have that review ending I can let you know that I bounced an idea with Metro as to school bus services, but I’ve been told that that is very, very difficult. But if there’s a school bus, let’s say coming up from Dover to Huonville, whether general passengers could potentially use that bus –
Ms BURNET – Like they do in Victoria.
Mr ABETZ – I’ve been told that there are certain issues with that, but I would like to think that that’s the sort of thinking that I think you and I would agree on –
Ms BURNET – Absolutely.
Mr ABETZ – would be helpful. Running a bus costs a lot of money and if we can make the services that are provided more efficient – and look, you do then have to protect school children, et cetera, so there are those issues as well which were of concern as expressed to me but I would like to think that we could make it work. Any ideas are gratefully received and looked upon by myself because I agree with you, we have to get the best possible use.
Another thing that I floated, just for what it’s worth, which also got bounced, was our rural services. I’ll pick on Tassielink, I think they come in from Bicheno or Swansea in the morning and then the bus sits there at the Tassielink depot until the afternoon when it returns. Could it possibly be used on a few suburban runs during the course of the day rather than sitting idle in a bus depot? That’s the sort of thinking that I’m trying to encourage. I’m sure there are a whole lot of ideas in my head that, in practical terms, mightn’t be as easy to implement as I might think, but I think they’re worth exploring.
Ms BURNET – There’s certainly a lot of social isolation associated with those bus services that aren’t available from places like Dodges Ferry. I’ve spoken to the mayor of Sorell in relation those services and coming into that regional centre rather than the service up to Hobart is more important in some ways.
Mr O’BYRNE – Thank you, Chair. My question, minister, is an extension of the previous line of questioning. I’ve written to you about this issue. The concept of, and the underlying principle of providing school bus services, is to enable children to get to school and get an education. Down at Dover, there’s a circumstance where the contracting decision for the size of a bus has made it difficult for a number of families to have a bus pass by their door or within their community, meaning tens of families and a lot of kids are not accessing or not able to access a public bus service along Kent Beach Road there. That, to me – I mean, these issues were raised with the department back in 2018‑19; there was a change, and that was accommodated. The issues with the recontracting have occurred again. The issues have been raised with you and your department but no change has been made. Many families are either opting out of the public school or they’re finding it very difficult to get their children to school because of a lack of a safe bus service.
Mr ABETZ – I’ve been made aware of that situation, not only through your correspondence, but also by representations, and I have passed them on. The Department of State Growth contracts a school bus service between Geeveston and Dover District School via Esperance Coast Road using a 39‑seater bus with no standing capacity. In 2022, an additional bus service between Geeveston and the school commenced. Operating by the Huon Highway is a temporary service to address capacity issues on the Esperance Coast Road service. This used a larger 58‑seater bus. The additional service was introduced to allow time for the department to assess the demand for the service and to consider the suitability of having a larger bus travel along the Esperance Coast Road. An independent assessment report was finalised in early 2023 and confirmed that Esperance Coast Road is generally considered suitable for a 58‑seater bus. The Huon Valley Council has also confirmed that the road is not subject to a load limit. The department considered increasing the size of the bus travelling, but based on passenger counts conducted in terms 1 and 2, made the decision to remove the additional bus service at the start of term 3. This was on the basis that passenger count showed the 39‑seat bus travelling along Esperance Coast Road would be able to cater to expected demand. However, capacity issues emerged again early in term 3, and on the basis of feedback received from the school community, a decision has been made to reinstate the additional Huon Highway bus service in the afternoons only until the end of this school year. This allows further time for state growth to work with DECYP on options.
